oddly enough

oddly enough

Ukraine border guards discover bootleg-alcohol pipeline

MOSCOW

Authorities in Ukraine say they have foiled plans to ship bootleg alcohol from Moldova to Ukraine via a pipeline.

The SBU security service said Tuesday that border guards in the country’s west stopped work to lay pipes on the bed of the Dniester River at a point where it crosses the border.

The would-be bootleggers rented a house on the riverbank on the Ukrainian side and started to lay the pipe across the river, authorities said. The SBU released footage of the pipeline being dug up.

Smuggling has flourished between Ukraine and its western neighbors for years, and Moldova has been a major source of bootleg alcohol for other former Soviet republics.

Room of pot goes up in smoke in fire at home on High Street

WALWORTH, N.Y.

A roomful of marijuana has gone up in smoke during a fire at a house on High Street in a New York town.

The Wayne County sheriff’s office says firefighters were called to the house in Walworth shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday. They found smoke coming from a locked office.

Once the fire was out, investigators found 40 to 50 potted marijuana plants under grow lights in the room. The sheriff’s office says the fire is believed to have been sparked by an electrical malfunction.

Firefighters contained the blaze to that room and the roof. None of the four residents was hurt.

A man who lives there was charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful growing of marijuana and released on a court- appearance ticket.

Southern California highway covered in onions after wreck

YUCAIPA, Calif.

A multivehicle crash left a Southern California highway covered in onions.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports a truckload of onions spilled at midmorning Tuesday on the westbound side of Interstate 10 in Yucaipa, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. Two other vehicles also were involved.

The California Highway Patrol says the truck driver was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

All lanes reopened shortly before 3 p.m.

Sweden bans M&Ms in chocolate-trademark dispute

STOCKHOLM

A Swedish court has ordered candy maker Mars to stop selling M&Ms in the Scandinavian country, at least not with the customary lower-case letters it uses on the packaging and on the colorful chocolates.

The Svea Court of Appeal said Wednesday it ruled against Mars in a trademark dispute with Kraft Foods, which sells chocolate-covered peanuts under the Marabou brand with a single “m’’ on the packaging.

It said Kraft has exclusive rights to the trademark in Sweden.

However, it added that using the upper-case M&Ms, as Mars does in its corporate communications, doesn’t constitute a trademark infringement in Sweden.

Associated Press